Rail-joint connection



July 18, 1933. O REFURTH ET AL 1,919,131

RAIL JOINT CONNECTION Filed Feb. 9, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 18, 1933.

o. REIFURTH El AL RAIL JOINT CONNECTION Filed Feb. 9, 1932 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 18,1933

f UNITED-STATES OTTO REIFURTH, or ummnn'rn, AND LFRED manna; oFREoxLI NGHAusEN v a. GERMANY; i

RAIL-.J'OI-NT ooixinnorioiv- Thisinventionrelatcs to a rail-jointconncction, in which the connecting fish plates. consist of two parts, which engage round the rail foot, and are bolted together above and below the latter; r

The, invention consists in constructing one of the associated halves of thc fish "plate or splice liar asa guiding fish plate, and the other as a supporting fishplate, in such a way that the guiding fish plates above the rail foot and the supporting fish plates below the rail foot, at their adjacent ends, have prolongations projecting partly beyond the end of the rail and engaging over one another in theclosed position, of which the lower projections provide for the simultaneous supporting of the two rail ends, andthe upperprojections provide for the lateral guidance thereof. The associated guiding and supporting fish'plates are prete-rably iso connected with one another as tobe yielding'in the longitudinal direction, as a result of which, notwithstanding the subdivision of the connecting fish plates, a connection acting as a closed unit 'is'obtained, but thehalves ofthe fish plates, when the rails expand or contract, can slide relatively'to one another to the required extent and can therefore be rigid-1y connected with the rails.

A further important advantage ofthene'w rail-joint connection consists in the fact that it"ensures the wheels passing over the rail (joint without shock, since when one end of a rail sinks, owing to the bearing thereof on thejext'ension of thesu'pportin'g fishplate of the opposite rail end,'t he latter is pulled down withit to the same extent, and is thereby alwayskept at the same level asthe other rail end; Furthermorethe new rail j ointconnection permits of the complete adoption of the rollinga-liowances current in practice.

"One ex'a-mp'le of the construction of the new rail-joint connection'is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation, v Figure 2 a horizontal section on thef line Figure 1, and

Figure i31is a sectional elevation on the line BB in Figure 1.

Figure 4 shows another example of con.-

Application filed Feliruary'f), 1932 Serial N0. $1,854 ,and in Gerinanv February 1 4,

Lcros's'sectiomand v I i v F1gure'5showsthis form in horizontal section on the line 'C G'in Figure 4. I Figure'fi showsla {third constructional ex;-

ample in plan, with the rail head cut oil. 3

Figure? shows a fourth constructionalex ample in Sideelevation, ,5

Figure 8shows this exainple'iinhorizontalf h section on the lineD -D in Figure 7 ,and

' Figure -9 'shows a cross sectional elevation thereof on the lineE Ein'Figu-re 7'.

- The connection between-the two rail ends I I 10 and 11 is efiected'by meansof two'pairs of fish plate's or splice barsengaging round the rail tootg 'which each consist of a guiding fish plate 12 and a {supporting fish 1 plate13. Theguiding and supportin fish plates are bolted together above and be ow therail foot,

and the'gu' iding fish plates, clamp ed intothe fish plate seat, andhaving theirup-per be'ar'- ing' edges suitably rounded, only bear against the ralf'ls at two points a and b, as shown "in F-1-g ures3,'4 and 9. For the further equalization of "the al lowa'nce's between the bearing sur face the rail foot'anjd' the lower flanges of the ffish plates, a resilient intermediate layer may beprov'ided, tor instance a straight or eeni'caily beveled wooden board 14. i In the exampl of construction illustrated in "Figures 1 t'o f'3, ithefish platesare so conslrlv-lcttdlat i w s one l dthr't'hat the iding fishplates 12 comprise above rail foot, and the supportingfish plates, 13

below therail foot extensions12;and 13' end of the rail and-engage one over the other in the closed position. The "projecting parts of the supporting fish plate [extensions 13 I form the medium} through whichthe rail endsbear upon -,the 'fish plate halves that ifor whereby the result is pbtai-ned that when one rail end is beingtraversedthe pressure is transmittedfby'therail foot; to the supporting fish plate ofthe opposite rail endfandithe latteriis drawnidown to the same rex-tent'as' the other'rail end, In this waywhen a wheel is traversing the rail joint, the two rail endsreSpective1y,which part-1y projectibey 'ond thei r i v the time being are opposite to the rail ends,

are sure to be at the same level and the hammer blow efiect of the wheels is obviated.

The object of the projecting partsof the guiding fish plate extensions 12 is to provide lateral support for the fish plates 12 on the rail ends opposite to them, for the purpose when the fish plates are bolted together, a.

stress being atthe same time produced, as in the case of the employment of spring rings, which prevents the loosening of the connecting screws. i p,

In order to obtain a reliable connection,

' acting as a closed unit, notwithstanding the employment of divided fish plates, the associated guiding and supporting fish plates are preferably soconnected with one another as to be yielding in a longitudinal direction.

This may advantageously be effected. in the manner illustrated in Figures 6 to 9 by making the adjacent ends of the guiding and supporting fish plates engage loosely one in the other above the rail foot,'in such a way that the claw-likeextension 12 of the guiding fish plate engages with clearance in a groove 15 in the supporting fish plate. Alternatively the end of the supporting fish plate may equally well be constructed as a claw and may engagein a groove in the guiding fish plate. In this manner the fish plate ends are not only connected with'one another to form. a coherentunit but the .connection is of a yielding character so far as is're quired for relative displacement of the halves of the fish plates for the purpose of. compensating for the differences of length arising from expansion or contraction of the rails. Instead of a claw-shaped or hook-shaped connection of the fish plate halves, other suitable kinds of connection may be selected.

,JIn the case of railway lines that are traversed in both directions the pairs of fish plates are preferably secured in a reverse arrangement at the rail ends, as illustrated in Figures 2 and 3.

I 'In'the-case of lines traversed in one direction only, however,=the pairs of fish plates may be arranged as illustrated in Figure 8,

that is to say, the two guiding fish plates are the two supporting fish plates 13, which catch underneath the rail joint, engage in the guiding fish plates like comb teeth.

In order moreover to prevent displacements of the two rail ends there may be provided on the extensions 18 of the supporting fish plates projections and recesses beyond the end of'the rail to which theyare secured, and overlapping one another when the rails are put together to form a joint.

2. A rail-joint connection, comprising divided splice bars embracing the rail foot, each splice bar consisting of a guiding bar and a supporting bar, anextension on each guiding bar above the rail foot, and an extension on each supporting bar below the rail foot, the said extensions projecting partly'beyond the end of the rail to which they are secured, and overlapping one an-- other when the rails are put together to form a joint, and a longitudinally yieldingconnection between the guiding bars and the supporting bars. f

A rail-joint connection comprising divided splice. bars embracing the rail foot, each splice bar consisting of a guiding bar and a supporting bar, a claw-shaped extension .oneach guiding bar above the rail foot, and an extension on each supporting bar, the saidextensions projecting partly beyondthe end of therail to which they are secured, and overlapping one another when the rails. are put together to forina joint, andthe extension on the supporting bar'being formed with a groove in which the claw-shaped extension on the corresponding guiding bar is adapted to clearance. v 1

e. A rail-joint connection comprising di-' vided splice bars embracing the 'railfoot, each splice bar consistin of a guiding bar and a supporting .bar, and each rail end have ing a guiding bar secured to it on one side and a supporting bar onthe other side, an extension on each guiding bar above therail engage with longitudinal foot, and an extension on each supporting bar below the rail foot, and comb-like teeth along the adjacent edges of the extensionsof the supporting bars, the said teeth being adapted to interengage below the rail foot when the joint is made. OTTO REIFURT I -I. ALFRED MOLLER. 

